By Rachel Cvitanovich | Development Coordinator
In 2016, when Ebola devastated their village, Rainatu and her brother, Keifala, were just six and five years old. Ebola took the lives of their mother and two older brothers. Their village, Gorahun Tonkia, went under quarantine for 21 days, and Rainatu and Keifala were taken to the Hope Emmanuel Orphanage in Kenema. They lived in the orphanage for seven long years until the orphanage asked Kidsave to try to find any living relatives.
Amazingly, their father had survived but had moved several times. Kidsave’s team in Sierra Leone had little information about his whereabouts but still the team was able to trace him. While meeting with him, he was overjoyed to be reunited with his children, calling them, “the only source of happiness left on earth for me."
The next day, Rainatu and Keifala were told their dad was alive and wanted to have his family back. The kids were elated! Rainatu could not hold her tears and burst into crying. ‘So, Daddy is alive, and we get to live together again!’
Two days later, Kidsave arranged for their reunification. The whole community had gathered to witness the reunification. During the ceremony, Rainatu said, "I don’t know how to express myself, for once again reuniting with our dad after the Ebola virus killed our mother, and we were taken to Kenema without our approval."
“We are grateful to Kidsave for helping us experience life as a family again with our biological father.” She described the orphanage as a civilized prison and thanked Kidsave for “bringing smiles to our faces again after spending seven unhappy years in the orphanage.”
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